The Makings of Evil
by AngieB105
Summary: The world of Angelique Bouchard is full of darkness, she is seen as a monster. Realising she may die at the hands of the one she loves she sits down and she writes her past in the hope Barnabas will read it and remember her for who she once was when she is gone. She tells the story of growing up in Collinwood, the story of love, friendship, darkness and betrayal. (M for later parts
1. Chapter 1

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part One**

Collinsport, Maine, 1972

I stood in the window of my office of my Angel Bay looking out as I watched my beloved Barnabas Collins leave once more. Once again I had been used to satisfy him only to watch him walk out. It tore at my heart every time, the heart that so many have accused me of being unable to love another. My heart could love, and it did. It had only ever loved one and that was him, for over two centuries. I sighed and straightened out my short blue dress and fixed my blonde hair before looking out at the ocean. I remember coming to Collinsport before it was a town. That day the ship arrived I was so nervous. I remember my father looking at the ocean. He often told me it matched my eyes, a deep sapphire blue, like my mothers. I think of him and my mother when I look at the sea and eventually those thoughts lead me to think of their demise which leads to a period of sadness. No one knew that, of course. I was Angelique Bouchard, I was the ruler of this town now with my Angel Bay. I was strong in the eyes of the inhabitants and well loved unlike the poor Collins family that resided in Collinwood. That family was free to burn in hell for all I cared, after what they did to me, hell may even seem to good. To the people, when I looked at the ocean, I was looking at the next catch of fish that would bring more money. They did not realise it meant more, a gateway to my past, to France where I had been born. I shake my head sending the thoughts to the back of my mind and put on my blue coat just as my accountant walks into my office.

"Miss Bouchard, forgive me for disturbing you so late, but I have managed to get my hands on the accounts for Collins Cannery as you asked. The figures show they are doing better than we first thought." He frowns as he holds them out with shaking hands, nervous of what I might do to hear such bad news. I simply take the files and dismiss him with a wave of my hand and he moves quickly out my office. He has handed me a massive file so I start to look through it, my frown growing bigger as I read further and further in. How can they be doing so well? They have only been back in business a few months and the family are scum, no one likes them so why are people working for them or even taking business from them? It didnt matter. I was still the one the people wanted, I would make them see that family were nothing, I would destroy ever last one of them if I had to. Lighting another cigarette, I continue to read. This cant be allowed to happen. The factory has to go and so does that family, apart from my beloved Barnabas of course.

"Lets begin with this." In one quick movement the accounts are burning in the fire. I sit by the flames and watch them dance around the paper, a smile curling onto my lips. Before long, I realise what may happen if I try and destroy that family. Barnabas is a vampire, he will protect them, he will not let me near them. I know there will be a fight. I come to realise that Collinsport is indeed not big enough for the both of us and one can not live and be happy while the other is alive. If I am to die I will be glad it is by his hand, I know I can not kill him but also do not wish to be killed. My secretary is working late tonight and she brings me a glass of wine like she knows I am in great need of it. Half an hour later, I ask her for the rest of the bottle in my office as I sit and think things over carefully in my mind. Thoughts start to trail back over time, my short time in my homeland, then to Liverpool when I met my beloved Barnabas as a child then to Maine. I sit and think of us as children, best friends, first loves. It was uncommon for us to be apart. He even followed me as I did my chores. Like all good memories, bad ones must accompany them and I remember Joshua Collins. The things that man did to me, what he did to my parents, how he tore my life apart and I had to pretend that nothing was going on. No one knew the things that he did. To others he was a kind man who loved his wife and son and yes, he did, but he was a sick man for the things he did when he was with me when I was growing up. He was the only one who knew I was a witch and he was the only one who truly deserved his death. My Barnabas was my light. He is the one who kept me sane and the reason I didnt try and run away. No matter what happened, I was always happy when I was with him. I often wonder if he remembers this too. I want him to remember even after I am gone if something happens to me. I go to my desk and take out a large notebook and several pens. I decide to write our story right back from when I was forced to flee to Liverpool with my family and our lives together and dedicate it to him in the hope he will remember me for who I once was and see how I became the creature he now despises. At the top of the first page I write the title, 'The Makings of Evil' by Angelique Bouchard. I pour another glass of wine and I begin to write.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Making of Evil**

**Part Two**

Martinique, 1773

I was born on the island called Martinique, an over-seas region belonging to France. I will never forget the beauty of it, the sun always shone there and it shone on the ocean creating wonderful dancing crystals on the waves. I was an only child, just myself and my adoring parents Elizabeth and Henry Bouchard. We were domestic servants to a very prestigious family in St. Pierre but were always treated well by them. They had a daughter who was a year older than I was by the name of Clara and we were often allowed to play together once she was done with her schooling and I was done with my chores. She taught me to count and read a few words. We worked for them for a year after my father lost his job as a fisherman. There had been a bad storm but he insisted on taking out the boat and the nets were caught on the rocks and torn, he was told that he paid to have them repaired or he would have to be fired and his lost wages used to pay. Of course, we didn't have enough money and so he lost his job. We struggled for money and food. My mother used to do laundry for women who would pay her and my father would help at the fish market when a seller needed some extra hands. I did was only two years old at the time, and a handful to look after. We had to conceal our magical abilities for fear of being burnt at the stake like so many witches and wizards before us. One day at the fish market, the servants of the Montadon family had gone for fish for the evening meal and had taken little Clara with them. She was three years old and just as curious as I was about the world. She had wandered to the harbour when she saw men unloading the fish from their boats. Like most days it was a very busy market day and she had moved just a little too close to the edge and was nudged by accident. She fell into the water, trying desperately to scream out for help but the water was already in her mouth and filling her lungs, he tiny body struggling to stay afloat. Luckily for her my father had seen her and moments later was in the water with her. Once back on the dock the servants thanked him, owing to repay him anyway they could for saving the life of their Masters child. It was then my father asked to return with them to the manor with my mother and I and ask for employment for his heroic actions and the servants agreed to take him.

My earliest memory was going to the manor. My mother had put me in the finest dress I had and tried to make me as neat as possible. Of course I put up a fight. I remember sitting in a carriage in between them facing the servants. The gentleman, Mr Movan, was an old man. He was very wrinkled and there was a warmth in his dark eyes that made me instantly like him and feel safe in his presence. I was proved to have judged him correctly for it was him who saved us ten months later from certain death. The woman by his side was much younger. She had been the one responsible for Clara. She sat with her lips in a straight line, fearful of the punishment ahead.

Monsieur Montadon gave employment to my parents that day. The young maid was asked to leave despite begging for her job. The first night there frightened me. I had never been in such a grand manor house. I had only one toy, a small stuffed bear called Sapphire, my father suggested the name, he truly loved my blue eyes. I kneeled next to a bucket of water as my mother washed my face before bed. My father scooped me up in his arms.

"You have been a wonderful child, my darling Angelique. I promise things will be different from now on. We will be safe here and you will grow up in this house with the little girl. You are going to be happy. I promise you."

"Yes, sweetheart," my mother said as she smiled at me. "What a lucky family we are for such a chance."

I smiled at them both as my father tucked me into bed and my mother began to sing to me as I drifted of holding their promises of a new and happy life in my heart.

The next few months flew by like a dream. Clara and I would play every day as my parents went about their many household jobs. I had been so used to hunger before, but now my stomach was always full and my cheeks became slightly plumper like a very young girls should be. My third birthday came and on that day my parents were delighted at seeing my first signs of magic. I had been playing with Clara in her nursery and had climbed onto the window ledge when I heard my father's voice outside. I leaned out too far and fell but instead of falling to my death, I floated a few inches from the ground before landing safely and gently on my feet. After that my parents would sit at night and teach me spells by candle light, always making sure the others were asleep. They were some of the happiest nights of my life. It was all soon to change.

At the beginning of December, Clara became very sick. She had a fever that no one could get down and a sore throat. Not long after, she began to get a rash as was diagnosed with Scarlet Fever and it was thought she would die. Many doctors came and tried to treat her but it was no use. Monsieur Montadon became desperate but even doctors brought from over-sea could not help her. One night, close to the end of her life, my mother and father took me to her room. They knew of a way they could save her life but it should have been done long before. They wanted to show me what to do, even at age three I was capable. They mixed herbs, adding a few drops of her blood and a few drops of blood from a healthy child meaning myself. They began to chant slowing, in time with each other. We had been over heard and moments later Monsieur Montadon burst into the room with a few other servants breaking the spell my parents had over Clara. She passed away a few moments later. Monsieur Montadon was convinced my parents had killed her, not only that, but they had just performed witchcraft. He commanded the servants to keep us there on pain of death while the witch hunters were summoned. Mr Movan, the man from the carriage snuck into the room behind the two servants hitting them both hard over the head with a heavy brass candlestick knocking one out and killing the other. He told my father to pick me up and run with my mother and I with him down the back stairs and out the servants door. I clutched onto Sapphire, not understanding what was going on. In the distance I remember seeing many men walk to the manor clutching lit torches and chanting about burning us alive and sending us to hell where we belonged. We ran to the docks where there was a ship going to Liverpool. Mr Movan managed to get us on as he worked at the manor. My father tried to convince him to come with us as the same fate waited for him if he stayed behind. He would not come and as the ship departed the dock we saw men with torches come and take him away. The last thing I saw of him was his warm smile on his face, there because he knew that he had saved us. I heard my mother cry for the first time in a long time as the ship took us closer to Liverpool and to my love, Barnabas Collins.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Makings Of Evil **

**Part Three**

Liverpool, 1775

It took a while for things to settle in Liverpool. We had arrived in December of 1773 just after the death of Clara Montadon and the murder of Mr Movan. 1774 was a blur. It was made up of my mother crying a lot and my father was depressed. He went through so many jobs that year. He tried to work as a fisherman again but cheaper labour was found and he was let go. He took on a job cleaning the streets of sewage but he got very sick from that and my mother made him stop. She would fix clothes for whoever was willing to pay her to do it and I, since I had turned five, was given the job of selling lucky charms on the street corner. My father had charmed them so they did in fact bring luck in the hope of attracting more business. It didn't work. We were still very poor just managed to make the money to rent one single room where we all had to live and sleep. It was difficult but we were a close family and it was just the three of us so it was not too bad and we got used to the rats. Liverpool was filthy. Dog tore apart dead animals in the street and the docks stank of rotten fish. It was nothing like my home in Martinique and I would have given anything to have gone back there but it was impossible. I never did return there.

In 1775 I turned six years old. Over the year my parents had managed to save up just enough money to give me another bear who I named Emerald after the wonderful green eyes my father had. That day was the day that changed my life forever. I ran ahead of my parents, I was still a handful to look after but my parents loved that about me. When I was very young they called me their "bouncy baby" and my love for things around myself had increased despite the dirt. Across the street, I saw a street musician and I ran into the road. I tripped over a cobble and fell as a carriage pulled by 2 horses came towards me. I screamed and so did my mother as my father ran to me but it was obvious he would not make it in time. The man inside the carriage had heard the scream and jumped out dragging me off the road and picking me up. I looked into the face of my rescuer, not knowing at the time that this was Joshua Collins, the man who would destroy my world. He was a well built man who looked like he had never missed a meal in his life and had added several extras a day on the side. He made my father look like a stick of bamboo as he stood next to him. Joshua smiled at me, a smile I had never seen before and one I didn't understand but I knew it was wrong, it felt wrong. Joshua handed me to my mother who was hysterical, she immediately scolded me for running ahead like that. My father shoot his hand regardless of the class difference.

"Thank you, Sir. Thank you, you saved my daughter's life. Thank you so much." He continued to shake his hand vigorously as Joshua smiled and glanced at me.

"No, not at all. To lose a life of someone so young and beautiful would have been tragic." Joshua eyed my dirty face and tattered clothes with another smile. "Tell me, how old is the girl?" My father looked round at me.

"My daughter, Angelique. She is six years old today," he replied, curious as to why he had asked.

"She looks like a strong girl, looks like she could be trained to be a good maid. Caught her young enough to teach her well. How is she at working?" My father saw this as an opportunity to get the three of us employed. He didn't even need to lie, I was a hard worker.

"She's is very good, Sir. She has worked hard selling things on the corner and she helps her mother to darn clothes. She is a good child and if you were to consider her as a future maid you will not be disappointed in her, I give you my word." Joshua seemed amused by the sound in my father's voice and he gave me another smile.

"Well, it would be ashame to have a girl like her hungry on her birthday and her parents without employment. I'll give you a month's trial, all three of you how does that sound?" At this point my mother looked like she would cry from gratitude and my father looked like he would fall to his knees in appreciation.

"Thank you, Sir. You will be glad you gave us this chance, I give you my word." A look of relief spread over his face and he smiled at my mother and I, not noticing the look Joshua was giving me, but I noticed but only for a moment. I looked over at the carriage and saw a young boy with dark eyes and dark hair stick his head out to see us. Our eyes met for a few seconds and I had a strange feeling strike my chest, a feeling I had never felt before. Joshua noticed our gazes meet.  
"This is my son, Barnabas Collins. He is seven years old so just one older than your Angelique. Will be good for him to have another child around our manor." With those words I gave Barnabas a small, shy smile. I knew I wanted to be his friend. My smile grew a little when he smiled back. My mother and father exchanged small smiles on seeing this.

"I am Joshua Collins, I do not believe I caught your names." He looked expectantly at my parents and they introduced themselves. I kept my eyes on the boy. He looked intelligent and well brought up, a gentleman already at the young age of seven but in his eyes I saw the hint of playfulness of a boy his age. Something drew me to him, maybe the idea of a new friend or the idea of a new beginning. I never wanted anyone to replace Clara but there was something special about Barnabas.

"Well then, " Joshua exclaimed as he clapped his large hands together. "I believe everything is in order. You will come on trial and your daughter will make a wonderful new maid and playmate for my son. Go and retrieve your things and I will send a carriage for you to bring you to the manor tonight. The servants will prepare a meal and your rooms. I look forward to greeting you then." With that and a final smile at me, Joshua Collins got back into the carriage with his son and continued down the street. At the time I thought we were given employment due to the desperation in my father's voice and the promise of many hours of hard work from us. I learned soon however that was not the case, that not long after our lives with the Collins family began my own life would tumble into a darkness that only I could carry the burden of.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Making of Evil**

**Part Four**

Liverpool, February 1775 ~ A New Beginning

As promised, a carriage came to our tiny home that night to take us to the Collins family and our new lives. We did not have much to pack. I had my two bears, and three dresses one of which I was already wearing. My parents did not have much more. There was a plump woman in the carriage. She came out to help load our two cases onto the back of the carriage and then she lifted me in. I sat in between my parents and held my father's arm, leaning my head against him. The woman was middle aged and she sat opposite at me and smiled, not the way Joshua smiled but one of warmth and love.

"Hello dear child. No need to be scared. I'm Mrs Allard, it's very nice to meet you. I'm the housekeeper. What's your name, my dear?"

"M-my name is Angelique," I whispered quietly. I still spoke slowly as my English still was not very good but I had sat and listened to many people talking and my parents were also teaching me so I was learning fast.

"Angelique. You certainly look like an angel. How old are you?"

"I'm six years old, Ma'am." I was still a little uncertain but I knew this woman meant well.

"My my, such a big girl. Well, when we get to the manor don't you worry about a thing. All the servants will adore you. It has been a long time since there was a little girl in the house. We have only Master Barnabas, I am sure you will get on well with him. He is a charming boy with a face you can't resist especially when he knows ive been baking and he comes to see what he can get. Hard to resist those eyes." She smiled at me and I felt very at ease so I returned her smile as my father stroked my hair.

"Who else is in the family? Besides Barnabas and his father," my mother asked curiously.

"Well, there is his mother of course. Naomi Collins, quite a beauty herself but you will see that soon. She is very quiet, not like her husband who very much enjoys the company of his friends and on many occasions a good strong ale. He is a good man, loves his family very much and treats the servants well. There have been a few who has lost his temper with but it is rare." My mother smiled. Both my parents were seemed to be overjoyed and with good reason. A good position with a prestigious family with a Master who treated his employees well and who had a lovely young boy to play with their daughter. They just had to make sure they did not make the same mistake as last time and let them discover their magical abilities. I had been further taught of magic by my parents and found it fascinating. They also told me in every lesson that no one must ever know. They never told me why. They just said bad things would happen to me and I might get taken away. That idea frightened me enough and so I made a promise to them never to tell.

Around twenty minutes later we arrived at the manor. We went through a big set of iron gates leading up a long drive with trees hanging over the top and wildflowers growing round the roots. At the end of the drive stood a manor house far bigger than the one the Montadon family had owned back in Martinique. It was two stories high with ivy growing up the walls, the moonlight reflecting in all the window panes. At one side there was a turret which went a little higher than the roof of the house and all the windows on it were made of stain glass of all colours. The top of the driveway was circular and in the middle was a stone statue of a young man. The statue was very old, possible as old as the house. I assumed it was perhaps the man who built the house. I looked with wide eyes as we approached. Mrs Allard saw me and let out a small laugh.

"Its big, my dear, buts it's still no more than a house. The family are working on plans to build a bigger one in Maine when they expand their fishing business over there. They are planning on calling it Collinwood. Still afar months yet before they go on over. I expect they will be taking the three of you with us." Before any of us could reply she was out of the carriage and carrying our cases to the big front door which was opened immediately. My father lifted me out and I moved behind him. I could hear the butler speak angrily to Mrs Allard about letting us use the front door and not the servants door but she ignored us and welcomed us in to the large entrance hall. It was very elegant and had a staircase on each side leading to a large double door at the top. The balcony was spread out with many doors leading to the many rooms. I just stood with my mouth open, after a few seconds my mother made me close it. First, my parents were taken to their own rooms. They were to be split up. My mother was in with a young made and my father was put in with the footman. Mrs Allard took my cold, trembling hand and led me to my room while my parents unpacked. A smile spread on my face as I was lead to the turret. I had got my own room. It was very small and circular. It had two windows in it, one was clear glass and the other was stain glass, only the clear one opened. There was a small single bed, a shelf, a wooden chair and little table beside the bed with a drawer where I could put my things. I had never had my own room before, I had always shared with my mother or both my parents. Mrs Allard stroked my hair and left me to myself. I sat on my bed with a large smile on my face. A few minutes later I heard footsteps outside my door. Slowly I made my way from the bed to the door , leaning down to look in the keyhole. I was surprised to see and eye looking back at me, a dark eye that was instantly familiar. I gasped and jumped back all the same but quickly returned just in time to see Barnabas run across the landing and into the library. At that moment I was tempted to follow him but I held myself back, I knew I had to learn my place. Perhaps playing with Clara was alright as I was so young and she was a girl, but I knew it was inappropriate to play with a young gentleman. My mother had warned me about that quietly before we had made our way here. I put my bears on my bed and think about him without even realising it, my eyes closed and a smile on my face.

I was suddenly knocked from my daydream when there was a knock on my door. Mrs Allard had come back with a glass of milk and a slice of cake she had baked that morning. My eyes went wide when I saw it and my stomach grumbled since we had been living off watery soup and whatever scraps we could find since moving to Liverpool. She placed it in front of me and I devoured it. Her eyes went wide as she watched me.

"Oh my, my dear. I will not have a child starve. Come with me to the kitchen and I'll get you something good and hot to eat." With that, she helps me to the kitchen and sits me at the table. There are six women in the kitchen and they all started to make a fuss over me at once giving me thick vegetable soup and bread that I eat, savouring every mouthful. That is then followed by another slice of cake and more milk. My eyes started to droop finally so content and satisfied. They took pity on me and Mrs Allard carried me to my room. She pulled back the covers for me and I didn't even bother to get into my night gown, I just curled up in my dress and was asleep moments later. In the back of my mind, I can hear my mother come in and sing to me like she does every night and I smile in my sleep.

Under the moon and stars outside, Joshua and Naomi are walking their dogs as Joshua tells his wife of the new servants he has brought in.

"They have a young girl. I know she will do well here. I'm hoping the same from her parents if they all want to stay here"

"It will be nice to meet them in the morning. I'm sure the mother will make and excellent hand maid and her husband perhaps can aid the butler. The girl can just work with the other maids"  
"Yes that was the plan. I will be talking to all three of them in the morning giving them the rules of the house and a list of things I want done every day from each of them. They know they are on trial. I'm letting them rest for now, it's the child's birthday. We will start working them tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Making of Evil**

**Part Five**

Liverpool, February 1775 ~ Work Begins

I slept soundly the first night. I was still in a deep sleep when Mrs Allard came and woke me up just before 6am. I believe that was the earliest I have ever been woken up and I can't say I enjoyed it at all. After I washed I went do the kitchen where I met the other servants and found my mother and father. I sat in between them and leaned against my mother, nibbling on the toast I had been given. Mrs Allard was busy with the breakfast for the Collins family and she knew that soon Joshua would wish to speak with us and so began running off a list of things we should know.

"Right, well Mr Collins is fair but strict when it comes to the upkeep of his household. As I have already mentioned he is a lovely man so you don't need to worry about that. In the mornings he does tend to be a bit more on edge but most people are. When you speak with him, show respect and mind you language but I am sure there is no problem with that. Stand straight and listen to every word he says to you and do not speak unless you are spoken to and never answer him back. It comes down to wither you know how to respect those in the upper class and I am aware you worked for a similar family in Martinique so there should be no trouble with that." She gave me a warm smile after her short lecture. I think now I was more worried than before about meeting him. To me there just felt that something wasn't quite right. As I sat and thought of this, a young maid walked in shielding a black eye. She only looked to be around sixteen years of age and she had been crying. She sat at the table on the other side of my mother and reached for a piece of toast. Mrs Allard turned and tutted at her, putting her hand on her hips.

"Mary Morgan, what have we told you about being clumsy? We can't let the guests see you like this when they come tonight, they will get the wrong impression about what goes on here. What happened this time?" Mary looked down at her hands looking like she would rather stay silent.

"I-I fell down the stairs..." . Her voice was no more than a whisper and I knew instantly that she was lying. I always seemed to know when people were lying. Mrs Allard sighed and went to look at Mary's eye.

"Foolish girl, that's the third time since Friday and its only Wednesday! You have to be more careful."

"Yes, Mrs Allard. I'm sorry." Mary kept looking down and I watched her carefully. To me it just felt wrong. Before I had a chance to say anymore, another young girl came in and told myself and my parents that Joshua wanted to see us in the library straight away to get us started. We stood up and my mother did her best to try and make me look more presentable. On the way there I was reminded again of the rule about respect and talking. I rolled my eyes, already knowing them. We entered the library and saw Joshua looking out of the window. I stood between my parents in front of a large desk, my head bowed in respect. He turned to us and greeted us with a smile.  
"Ah, good morning. I trust you are well rested. You all have a lot to do. I thought I would start with the rules." I looked up slightly to watch him pace about in front of us. "There is to be no screaming or yelling. I hate the sound of it. When it comes to meals you will eat in the kitchen with the other servants, no exceptions. If I tell you to do something then you do it immediately without question or complaints. There is to be no gossip of any sort spread about, it causing trouble and I won't stand for that. When it comes to your work, I expect you all up at 5am to light all the fires in each of the bedrooms which must be done without you waking anyone. The floors are scrubbed every second day, the fireplaces are cleaned everyday and also every day everything is brushed and dusted." Joshua looked to my father. "You will work mostly with me, setting out my clothes and looking after my general well being. I know you have done it before with another family and so that shall not be a problem. You may also be required to help with the horses on and the gardening when we have formal dinners parties as we do tonight." Joshua then stopped and looked to my mother. He moved in front of her and smiled.

"You will work with my wife, like your husband you will be expected to look after her. You will also be expected to help in the kitchen and help the housekeeper. And you...". I looked up at him, I know he must have seen the fear in my eyes.

"You will clean. I want you to be the one who scrubs the floors, cleans the fires and anything else the maids see fitting for you including the laundry. I'm going to work you hard because I know you can do it. Now, all of you. There is a formal dinner happening here tonight. Once the guests are seated you have to get out of sight. The only servants I want to see are the ones who are serving us the meal. Go now, and you will be set to work, but Angelique, you stay for a few more minutes." My eyes went wide as I watched my parents walk out the room. I lowered my head again but I could still feels his eyes burning into me and I didn't like it. He put his hand on my shoulder and I tried so hard not to tremble or pull away.

"You and I are going to be special friends, Angelique. I know you will be a good girl and work hard for me, you will, wont you?" All I do is nod, I just want out and away from him. I was so close to pulling away when he released me.

"Nodding isn't an answer, Angelique," he said sternly.

"Yes, Sir," I whispered in a voice similar to Marys when she came into the kitchen.

"There's a good girl. You best be off and get started. I don't like it when people slack off."  
"Yes, Sir," I whispered again before I ran from the room and closed the door. I leaned my back against it wondering what he had meant. There wasn't time to think before a maid came and handed me a brush and shovel telling me to clean the fireplace in the drawing room. I took it and ran there to get away from that man.

I had never cleaned a fireplace before so apart from sweeping the ash I didn't know what else to do so I stood up and went to leave when I heard a voice of young boy behind me.

"If you leave it like that father will be very angry." I immediately looked down when I saw it was Barnabas. I don't know why I felt shy like that.

"I'm sorry. I do not know how to clean a ... _cheminée_..." I looked down defeated, not knowing the correct word in English.  
"Its a fireplace. My Governess is teaching me to speak French." He gave me one of the friendliest smiles I had ever seen and I stopped being nervous.

"Fireplace," I whispered. "Thank you for helping me."  
"A gentleman always helps a lady, regardless of class." He gave me another smile. It felt strange to hear a boy of only seven speak that way. I knew I had been right when I had thought about a friendship being inappropriate.

"I will do it again. I'll just clean it all and put on new wood."

"Well that's how its done." He smiled at me and walked over and reached for my hand, placing a soft kiss upon it. "I am Barnabas Collins, what's your name?" I was so taken aback by the kiss and I felt my cheeks burn, I could barely get a word out.  
"Angelique Bouchard, a pleasure to meet you." I wasn't even sure how to address him so I decided to leave it out until I knew.  
"I must go. There is a dinner party tonight and mother wishes I brush up on my dinner etiquette before the guest arrive. I am to set an example and show I have been brought up to be a gentleman, that's what my mother says." I noticed he said that with a slight scoff which made me giggle.

"I must finish this and move on. I have to prove I can be a good maid."  
"Then I shall see you soon." He bowed slightly to me and left the room. I couldn't stop the smile that came onto my face, I smiled the entire time I cleaned the fireplace and thought about him, a new friend, that was a wonderful thought. I finished cleaning and skipped to my next set of chore, singing to myself as I went.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part Six**

_( A note to the readers ~ As it turns out, I got my years wrong, got confused. So far the story has taken place in the 1750s and not the 1770s. I have changed it but for some reason the change won't update so avoid confusion, just ignore the previous years I have given and look at this one. The year is 1759 and they will go to Maine in 1760 as in the film. sorry for the confusion and thank you for reading :3 )_

Liverpool, 1759 ~ The Dinner

That night my mother tried to put me into bed as early as was allowed, after all my chores had been completed but I had other ideas. I knew there was the diner tonight and I wanted nothing more than to be part of the regardless of the class divide. Once again my mother tucked me under my blanket.

"Now, my darling, you must rest for your work tomorrow." With that I jumped out of my bed again and began to jump around the room.

"Please Mama, I want to see the party, all the dancing and the gowns. Oh please mama!" My father then walked into the room to wish me goodnight and he gave a wide smile when he saw me jumping around.

"I don't think we will get her to sleep now," he whispered to my mother.

"Papa, Papa! Please can I go?" I asked desperately. I already knew the answer and that it would not be allowed. My father picked me up and placed me back into my bed.

"Listen to your mother. You know it can't happen. We must not mix with them." I sighed and reluctantly settled into my bed.

"Papa? Will we ever be part of it?"

"I'm sorry, darling. It a whole different world and we don't belong in it. Maybe one day when you are older you might marry a rich man who loves you very much and he will give you a world just like this, or maybe you will even find your own way in." I smiled at him and snuggled up.  
"I will make you and mama proud of me." Both my parents smiled and kissed my head, my mother tucked Sapphire and Emerald in with me.

"We know, darling," my father said. "Just go to sleep, and sweet dreams". I closed my eyes and felt them kiss my head again and heard the door shut. As soon as they were gone I was back up again and on my tiptoes looking out the window as carriages began to stop at the front of the house. I looked with awe and envy at the wonderful dresses the women wore and I smiled at the gentleman treating the women with such care and respect, wondering if I would ever be treated in that way. I saw Joshua standing at the front door, not too far away from my window and he slowly looked up, our eyes met for a few seconds and that familiar chill shot through me. I look away and dive back under the covers again. I started to smell the wonderful food that Mrs Allard and the other servants had spent all day cooking and my stomach growled loudly and I moaned, moving onto my stomach to try and get rid of the hunger pains. The only thing I thought of doing was putting my pillow over my head and blocking out the smell. A few minutes later sleep over took me and the dream I had has always stayed with me. Sometimes I think about it and wonder if it was a vision into the future. I dreamt that I was cleaning the floors in the great hall. There was a smell of burning in my nostrils but it wasn't a smell of burning wood or food, it was different, almost with a hint of death. I looked up from my scrubbing brush into the eyes of Joshua. There was a look on his face that frightened me. It was a look of madness mixed with something else that I didn't understand at the time. He brought a belt out from behind his back and brought it down on my shoulder. At that point I woke up with a jolt, breathing hard. I thought to myself that that wouldn't happen, it couldn't possibly. But that smell of burning, I could still smell it and it felt wrong.

The meal was over and I could hear music play so I knew the dancing had started. Surely no one would know if I went to have a look. I climbed out of bed and pushed my long brown hair behind my ears before slowly opening my door and looking around. There was no one there so I proceeded to walk along the corridor to the balcony that overlooked the hall where I knew everything was taking place. There was a sudden rush of footsteps and I hid behind a statue and covered my mouth so no one would hear my breathing. Luckily it was just a maid just running past to prepare all the guest bedrooms in time. Once she was gone I went through the door to the balcony and the music burst through. It was a wonderful waltz and I instantly started to sway to it, moving over to the edge to watch the people below. It was a wonderful sight, watching the women dresses spins out at the bottom as they danced with the gentlemen. I stood and smiled as I watched them. A noise from behind me made me turn quickly, getting a fright in case I was caught. I smiled a little when I saw Barnabas standing there with that little cheeky smile. I remembered my manners and curtsied a little.

"Bonsoir...," I whispered as I looked at the floor.

"Good evening to you too. I see you can't sleep either. Mother and Father would not let me stay up which I think is extremely unfair. They said I am too young to stay up late and join in." I smiled and looked up at him.

"I had a bad dream, that's why I am not sleeping but I wanted to see. I haven't seen anything like this. Even in Martinique things were not as grand." He gave me another smile.

"I have never been there. I have been to mainland France, it was very beautiful. I am sure Martinique is beautiful too." He went and looked over the balcony at the people below. "Mother has made me take lessons to dance like that. I don't like it but I do not want to disappoint my parents. Do you dance?" I blushed and looked away.

"No, I was never given the chance. My life is so different from yours. We have always had to work or we would starve. It has been very hard." I looked down and Barnabas seemed to sympathise as he didn't ask any further. I was aware that he was walking closer to me and then I felt his hand in mine. I gasped and nearly pulled it away from shock.

"Can I teach you to waltz?" He gave me a very warm smile and I couldn't help but return it and nod. He took my hand and placed it on his shoulder and then put his own hand on my waist.

"I will lead so when I step forward you step back. It is really very easy, follow my steps." After a few shaky minutes I had managed it and I was waltzing with him around the balcony with a wide smile on my face. He spun me out then back into his arms and then it just came naturally and I knew what to do. I stopped looking at my feet and up into his eyes and saw that he was matching my smile. The music stopped and he took a step back, lifting my hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it. I smiled and blushed again.

"You are a fast learner, better than me. My mother would be proud of that." I laughed a little.

"I don't think so, I am a low class and should not be part of this world. My Papa told me that."

"Perhaps, but I do not see a class divide with you yet I have been taught about it and told that I should not treat the maids like equals. I have to do it as father would be very angry but I do not want to treat you that way. I want to be your friend." He smiled again and a slight pinkness went to his cheeks as it did on mine. Before I had time to respond, the door to the balcony opened and Joshua emerged. I felt my heart jump and cowered slightly. He walked to Barnabas with a slight smile and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Now son, you really should be in bed. Is she keeping you awake?"  
"No, father. I couldn't sleep so I came to listen to the music and I met her here."

"Well, please go back to bed, you have your tutor in the morning and you need to be able to concentrate. I want you to do well."

"Yes, father." Barnabas turned to me and smiled. "Goodnight, Angelique. Sweet dreams." I watched him walk out and back to his room. Joshua waited until he heard the bedroom door shut before turning to me with a burning glare.  
"I never want to see you out of your room when you shouldn't be. I don't want you to be seen!" He grabbed my wrist and pulled my to my room and slammed the door shut behind him. I looked up at him, terrified, my eyes wide as he seemed to bear down on me.

"I don't know what your plan is with my son. He is a treasure to this family. He is my only son and my wife can't have anymore. He won't be corrupted by some filthy little rat I picked off the street!" He moved his face so close to mine I could smell the alcohol on his breath. "I brought you here for me...not for him," he whispered threateningly. I watched his lips curl into a cruel smile. I didn't know what he meant. Brought me here for him? I didn't have time to think before he swung his hand, striking my cheek so hard I feel backwards onto my bed. My eyes filled with tears and I held my cheek with both hands. He straightened up and looked down at me and pulled me up. He lowered his head to whisper in my ear. Now, his tone had completely changed. His voice turned soft but his nails dug into my arm.

"Don't tell anyone I did that, alright? I can do a lot worse. Just do what I tell you and everything will be just fine." He moved back slightly and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Go to bed, you have a lot of work to do in the morning. Sleep well, my Angel." With that he grinned at me and left me standing there trembling with a red mark spreading over the cheek he struck. I didn't understand what he meant. I hadn't done anything. I climbed into bed and pulled the cover over my head as I cried as quietly as possible, his words going over and over in my mind. Finally I fell into a dreamless sleep. Little did I know, that was just the start of things and that his threat of being able to do a lot worse was more than true.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part Seven**

Liverpool, September 1759 ~ The Birthday

The months went past and I never told anyone what Joshua did to me that night. I still thought about it all the time, not understanding why he had done it. I had gone down to the kitchen in the morning for breakfast not knowing there was a mark on my cheek, but Mrs Allard had pointed it out straight away.

"Goodness child!" she exclaimed. "What have you done to yourself?"  
"I-I just...walked into a door. I was not looking where I was going." I slowly sat down and look across the table at Mary, the young maid who had tried to hide a black eye the morning after they arrived. She knew I was lying, she knew what was going on. It had happened to her too, but for her it had never stopped.

The months flew past to September. Our routines and lives had firmly settled in the home of the Collins family. Joshua had never raised a hand to me again, but that look that made me so uneasy never stopped. I thought it best to just avoid him when I could but every morning I had to light the fire in his room before he woke. I had never prayed so hard in my life that when I was in there he wouldnt waken. The servants were already busy in the kitchen, another celebration of some sort it seemed though I had no idea what. There were always so many parties, dinners and balls to prepare for. After I had lit all the fires that morning I began my chores, told to clean everything to utter perfection, for tonight the grandest guest would arrive and a few very special guests. I was scrubbing the floors as i did every second day and I heard a sharp voice behind me.

"Angelique!" I turned slowly and saw Joshua standing there, his large form towering over me. Slowly I moved to my feet, keeping my head low in respect.

"Yes, Sir?" I managed to stammer. He lowered his head to my level and smiled.

"Today is a special day, my son turns eight years old. Tonight many families will arrive to celebrate. Not only that, many are bringing their young daughters to meet him too in the hope one day a marriage can be arranged. You must stay out of sight. I wont have them think you are one of the girls." I kept my head facing the ground, not daring to look up.

"I will stay away, Sir. I promise." My voice was so soft and weak, he must have known I was scared of him.

"Good girl..." He grinned at me and tilted my chin up to look at him until our eyes met. His voice turned soft, almost breathless. "What a beautiful girl." He examined my face, chills running up my spine, all I wanted to do was run but I didnt dare. This felt wrong. The way he looked at me frightened me. He finally released my chin and walked away, muttering that i should not be seen. With that, I quickly finished my chores and started to take the bucket back to the kitchen. The bucket was always too heavy for me to carry. Nearby were the main stairs which the servants were forbidden to use. The servants stairs were further along the corridor and down another passage leading straight to the kitchen. The bucket was so heavy I decided to sneak down the main stairs as there was no one around. Joshua was in the library and the door was shut. I could hear an odd sound but I never questioned it, I just lifted the bucket and started down the stairs. As I turned the corner quickly I ran into Barnabas nearly throwing the dirty water over him. My eyes went to the floor at being caught on these stairs but he smiled warmly and I knew he would not tell anyone.

"Please, allow me to help you." I was taken by surprise when he took the bucket from my hands and he began to walk down the stairs with it. I took a quick look around to make sure no one would see that. I ran after him down the stairs.

"Please, please you dont have to help me." He turned and smiled at me with that little grin i loved.

"I have told you before, I will always help a lady in need of assistance." He walked out ahead of me to the kitchen and I kept looking around to make sure no one would see this, knowing I would get into serious trouble if it was seen. He placed the bucket down and turned back to face me.

"I have missed you, Angelique. I have hardly seen you since I taught you to dance that night." I could see the slight pain in his dark eyes. I knew he longed for a playmate and I wanted to be that more than ever but I remembered I must not let that happen. I remained silent while he watched me.

"Today I have turned eight, my father is bringing young ladies to the house in the hope I will like one of them. Mother said I have to dance with them all but I would much rather dance with you." I looked up when he said that and smiled, our eyes meeting and I felt something connect. Before I could answer, Mrs Allard was in the kitchen shooing Barnabas out telling him a bath had been prepared in his room for him to get ready. He gave me one last smile and went to get ready. I smiled back at him, thinking I had done it subtly but as I turned my head I saw Mrs Allard smile.

"Now, now child. You should know better than to fall for a young man like that. Ive been in domestic service all my life, I've seen it happen and the outcome is never good. You are just children, friends, for the good of yourself I suggest you never let it go any further." She gave a hearty laugh as she looks at me. "Here's me talking about love and such and you are only a young girl of six, I hardly expect you to understand. Of you go, The hall where the dance is to take place needs a good sweep." She handed me a broom and off I went. She was right, what do I know about love?

Later that night the guests began to arrive and once again I watched from my bedroom window. This time as well as the elegant women and their handsome men, were many little girls around my age, looking just like smaller versions of their mothers. Seeing these girls reminded me of Clara Montadon, my dear friend back in Martinique who my parents had been accused of murdering with their witchcraft. Even her dresses were not as stunning as these. Barnabas would most certainly fall for one of them. Slowly I walked to my bed. There would be no goodnight kiss from my parents tonight as they were down with the guests ensuring everything went well. I could hear music play to welcome the guest and I rememberd the night Barnabas had taught me to waltz. This time I knew I would not dare venture towards it, the thought of it made my cheek sting in the memory of Joshua striking it. I put my head under my cover and eventually fell asleep.

That night I dreamt of home. I had always missed it. I missed the sun. Liverpool was cold and dirty and it always seemed to rain. I missed the woods where I used to play with my father, I missed how blue the ocean was. Slowly my eyes started to open and I looked into the darkness of the wall opposite my bed. I tried to pull up my cover but this time I couldnt, as if someone was sitting on the end of the bed. I sat up slowly, scared it would be Joshua but instead I was surprised to see Barnabas and his cheeky little smile sitting at the end of my bed. My eyes went wide at seeing him but softened at his smile.  
"Good evening," he said to me. "I did not mean to wake you but I missed seeing you downstairs. The girls there remind me of my mothers." I gave a gentle laugh as I imagined it.

"No one would want to marry their mothers," I replied with a gentle smirk.

"No, indeed they do not." I sat and pulled me knees to me chest and watched him slide a small wooden boat over the rippling cover like they were waves. I smiled as I watched him. He caught my eye and smiled then passed me the little boat. "I assume you already know, my father has a fishing business. Seems they are keen to get me involved." He looked at the boat in my hands. "Strange idea, I have never actually been on a fishing boat. My mother is scared I will fall into the water and drown since I was never taught to swim." I looked at him curiously, I had known how to swim for a long time.

"Do you want to take it over one day?" I copied him and made the boat sail over the sheets.  
"I do not have a choice. Just now, no, not really but father said that in time I will change my mind about that. I am not sure I will. Just now I want to be ... normal, like the other boys who get to go to school and do not have a private tutor, who are allowed to play at the beach and run around in the streets." I looked properly at him and in this moment I no longer saw the young gentleman he had been brought up to be but instead a young boy who just wanted to be like the others. He looked up into my eyes and smiled a little. "Will you be my friend and play with me?" I gave a wide smile to him and nodded. I had wanted to be his friend for so long.

"I would love to, very much. Barnabas, please never tell your father." I looked into his eyes as my own eyes begged him to keep it a secret. I could see in his warm, dark eyes that our secret would be safe without him even speaking a word. I did not want to risk another strike from Joshua.

"Then lets go, right now. We can sail the boat on the lake just across the grounds." His smile had returned to his face and I smiled with him.

"It is the middle of the night and cold. You cannot swim if you fall in." He just laughed and rolled his eyes.

"We are not going swimming. Come on!" He laughed and jumped up, pulling me out of bed. I smiled and put on my shoes and I put my coat on over my nightgown. We went through the house very quietly on fear of being caught by someone. Once outside, he grinned at me and took my hand and started to run as fast as he could with me across the grounds, laughing loudly. I grinnned and ran along, very breathless when we got to the lake. He immediatly got onto his knees and put the little boat on the water. I smiled and knelt next to him watching its float on the water that reflected the moon and stars.

"Mon capitaine...," I whispered softly. He looked at me and smiled.

"A captain that has never held command before or done too much out at sea." We sat and watched the little boat side by side. It was a warm night, Autumn had not quite begun and the sounds and smells of Summer still lingered. I lay back on the grass and looked at the stars wondering of what other worlds were up there. Barnabas lay back with me. "Father said there are billions and billions of them. He said there are more than you will ever see or can begin to imagine. It is an amazing thought." I smiled and looked at him.

"That makes me feel very small, no more than a tiny dot when so much more exists." He laughed a little.

"We are, even in this world we are not more than more dots." I smiled and closed my eyes, enjoying the breeze. "Angelique, look!" I sat up quickly to see the little boat going further out, too far to reach. Barnabas sighed as he watched it.

"Do you suppose it will eventually drift to shore?" I looked at the calm lake, rather doubting it would.

"Do not worry, I can get it for you." I looked at him with a warm smile and he looked back with wide eyes.

"The water is far too cold, I will not ask you to do such a thing." I smiled and slide of my coat.

"I am your friend." I folded my coat and set it down and began to slide off my nightgown. Before I removed it, I raised my eyebrow at Barnabas who understood and very politely looked away. I folded my nightgown and stood in my underwear. Slowly I began to walk into the lake and gasped on feeling to cold water on my skin. The water got to my waist and I then started to swim for the boat. Only seconds later I had it in my hand and was paddling back to the shore. I climbed out and wrapped myself in my coat shivering slightly. Barnabas then took off his coat and put that round me too and kissed my cheek with a big smile as he took the boat.

"Thank you, Angelique. Thank you very much." I looked up at him as I moved my wet hair from my face and laughed a little.

"You must learn to swim." He smiled and nodded.

"I would if it was not for my mothers fear. I think knowing how to swim would be very useful especially since we are moving to Maine next year." I frowned at this. I never liked talking about it. There had been a lot of packing and going over the final plans. My mother often spoke to me of the large manor that the family were planning to build and the settlement that was to be created in order to expand the business. She told me the manor was to be named Collinwood and would take many years to build so until then the family was going to be living in a large house by the sea.

"Just six months until we go. It will be a long journey on the ship. Longer than the one from Martinique." He smiled at me warmly.

"One day I hope you can tell me about it. I still hope to travel the world. Ive heard many stories about India and about far out east but never have I been." I began to shiver more violenty and I nodded.

"I will tell you about everything one day, even Clara. She was a close friend who passed away from fever. There was an outbreak in that part of Fort - de - France and that is why we left." I hated to lie but I could not tell him that I was a witch or that my parents were too. We could not keep running. Barnabas noticed I was shivering and put his arm round me and began to guide me back to the house.

"I was once sick with fever. My mother and father were sure I was going to die. Mrs Allard nursed me. She made me drink strange things that tasted of the earth. There was also a doctor who came ever day. He would put small cuts on my arms and one just above my nose to let out the bad blood but I think it was the earthy drinks that helped. My mother said I will never have any brothers or sister, I am not sure why but they have become protective." I nod and think about the doctors who had tried to treat Clara but had failed. We reached the house and Barnabas took me to my room where I dried my hair with an old rag and slipped back into my nightgown. He stood by my bed and smiled as I curled up again.

"Goodnight, Angelique. Sleep well and dream sweetly."

"Goodnight, Barnabas." We smiled at each other and I felt my eyes go heavy with sleep and I began to close them. I heard him leave and close the door quietly. I listened to his soft footsteps disappear and I fell asleep with a smile on my face hoping I would wake up on time to begin my chores the next morning.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part Eight**

Liverpool ~ February 1760

It had taken many many months, but finally everything had been packed up. The furniture had already been sent on ahead of us so the new house would be ready. All that remained were the inhabitants of the household and many trunks with all their belongings. I had packed my things in a case with my parents. My few clothes and books and my two bears. I had turned seven only a week before and Mrs Allard had baked me a cake. It was the first one that anyone had ever made just for me and I shared it with my parents in my bedroom with some milk. My parents were always kept so busy now that I treasured every single second I had with them. One the morning we were to leave, I stood in my bedroom in the turret of the house and looked around it one final time. It had been a year, almost to the day, that we had arrived here. I felt my fathers hand on my shoulder and I turned round and looked up at him.

"Time to go, darling, to the new world." He smiled and picked me up and I snuggled against him. "Getting big now, won't be long before I can't carry you at all." He carried me downstairs to my mother and the other servants and placed me on the floor. We were to travel by carriage to the dock. The Collins family travelled in the front carriage and then their cases and trunks followed then by several more carriages with the servants. I was in one with my parents, Mrs Allard and Mary, who had not only a black eye this time but also a bruise on her jaw and round her neck. She did her best to hide them when she saw me stare.

It was a very cold morning and the sun still had not risen. There was fog all round and the stench of rotten fish and sewage hit me before I had even got out the carriage. All around, fishing boats were bringing in their catch from that morning and getting ready to start selling them. Up ahead was the large ship that was there to take us to our new lives in Maine. I sighed at the thought of the thirty day journey on board. It reminded me of the journey over from Martinique. It had not been as long as thirty days but it was not very pleasant. We had shared a ship with all sorts of people wanting to start new lives in England which at the time my parents had thought very strange since most people were immigrating to America and Canada at the time, trying to leave Britain. I had just guessed they were running away too. Those people had been filthy and most of them were ill. This time, no other travellers were coming on the ship. I looked out to sea and frowned. I was sick of moving around. I truly hoped this would be the last time we moved country. I stood by my mother as she checked a few things in our bag. Just as I was waiting for her, Barnabas walked past with his mother and father, walking onto the ship. We looked at each other and our eyes met, giving each other a small secret smile and not showing anyone we were friends like we had talked about six months before. My mother noticed and gave me a nudge.

"Angelique, don't stare at him, learn your place." I ignored her and continued to watch him until he was out of sight on the deck. My father came and stood by my side.

"You look pale, are you alright?" I looked up at him and shook my head.

"I am scared, Papa. I do not like being on the sea and I do not like how we must keep moving around."

"This will be the last move, I know it will be. The family are making permanent roots there and I can see us being with them for a very long time." I nodded and followed my parents onto the ship and looked around. I smiled slightly when I saw Barnabas, his mother was fixing his coat and he was trying to get away. His mother, Naomi Collins, was instructing one of the servants to keep a close eye on him, terrified he will fall overboard. He looked over at me and smiled before my mother took my hand and led me down to where the servants would be staying for the next month. It was not bad. It was better than the ship we had got from Martinique, fewer rats on here even though there were still s few scuttling around. The woodwork was slightly damp and the salt sea smell drifted off it filling the whole galley. My mother took me to where I would be sleeping for the duration of the long journey. I sighed as I looked at it, a sack on the floor that had been half packed with straw but it was spilling out the sides, and an old grey blanket the rats had been nibbling. I wondered how much better the cabin the Collins family would be sleeping in was. I knew it wasn't going to be much better than what we had but they might get beds and have proper covers and not ones that had been chewed on by rats.

It took a few hours for things to be ready before we set off on the long journey. There were people running all over the deck and as I expected, Naomi was desperately trying to keep Barnabas away from the edge of the ship as she was still scared of losing him by drowning. I still thought he should learn to swim. I sat on a pile of rope and smiled to myself as I watched him struggle in his mother's arms. He was a young gentleman but still had moments like this like the young boy he was. Eventually she convinced him to go below the deck. A tutor had been brought on board so he would not miss a moment of learning. As he walked past he gave me a flash of his cheeky boyish grin and as usual I couldn't help but smile back. A few moment later my mother called me to help prepare food and while we were doing that we were given our duties. My job was to wash bed sheets and scrubbing the deck. Whether on land or on sea I could never get away from the scrubbing. I sighed and helped with the meal and went to scrub the deck as I had been told. It would seem that sailors were considerably more dirty than upper class families and the mess they had already turned the deck into made me ruffle my nose in disgust but I went on and did it anyway. I was wondering how many times a day this would need to be done. I could feel Joshua's eyes burn into as usual as I worked and as usual I tried to ignore it. I still didn't understand why he looked at me in that way.

The journey to Maine was more difficult than I thought. As it happened, I had to clean the deck between three and five times a day. A lot more rats had managed to come aboard than I thought but I was used to rats. Mrs Allard was not, and it was amusing to watch her scream and run from them. I was sad that I never saw much of Barnabas. His mother had him in the cabin all the time. I suppose she didn't want to mix too much with the sailors as well as her fear of him drowning. we still had another ten days on board the ship so had been on for twenty. Not enough provisions had been packed and the rats had got into some food which then was thrown overboard. I had also seen a man get thrown off too. He had died after eating food the rats had gotten into. What food that was left was given to the Collins family, but like the rats I was used to the hunger. On the rare occasion I saw Barnabas, he would always have something for me to eat and I would share it with my parents.

Over the next few days things got worse. More men got sick and a few more died. My mother and father had a special herb they made me take to stop me from getting sick too and it worked. When land finally came into sight, an almighty cheer went up from all people on board the ship. I remember my father picking me up and sitting me on the railing so I could get a better look. A smiles spread over my face as we got closer. It was our new home ahead. From what I could see there wasn't much there but a few houses and a small street. I could see the large mansion we would live in until Collinwood was built and I knew the Collins family intended to build a settlement. They were going to name it Collinsport. I was determined to never have to leave again. I was tired of moving around and I never wanted to lose Barnabas. I could hardly begin to imagine what Collinsport held for my parents and I or how things that happened here would change the way I was forever.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part Nine**

Collinsport, Maine , March 1760 ~ Mansion by the Sea

There it was. Standing near the beach, the evening sun shining on the window panes the way it did on the ocean making it sparkle. The new home that we had travelled many days to reach. It was even bigger than the mansion the Collins family had lived in back in Liverpool and much older. By the front of the house there was not much in the way of a garden but being so close to the beach that hardly mattered. It was two stories high, ground, first and second floor then there were attic windows looking out over the bay with a perfect view of the sunset in the evening and drenched in daylight during daytime hours. It was called Ryton House, named after the family that once inhabited it. It was what remained of an old colony that had been destroyed many years before and it was where we were to live until Collinwood would build which could take many years.

It was very fortunate that it was so near to the beach as there was a lot of trunks and cases, carts and pieces of furniture to be taken there. Most of the furniture had already been sent ahead a few months before so the family would feel at home as soon as they arrived. I helped where I could, carrying cases much too heavy for me but managing. I looked toward the beach in the distance and I could see Barnabas playing in the sand with his Governess watching over him very carefully. I smiled a little to myself before one of the servants gave me a sharp nudge indicating I should start working again.

After many hours of carrying, rearranging, dusting and sweeping things were all finally in place and the house could relax for a few hours. Mrs. Allard took me up to my new room. I smiled a little when she took me through a door that led into the attic of the house, the rooms I had admired from the ground below for their wonderful views of the sea and sunlight. There was a lot more room here than I had in my tower back in Liverpool. There were two dormer windows that needed to be cleaned but even so, the sunlight still poured in. In one corner there was a bed with a thin blanket across it. I knew I would be cold this time of year but soon when the summer came it would be the warmest room in the house. At the end of the bed was a small chest of drawers and on top of that was a blue and white china bowl and a white jug so I could get washed in the morning. There was also a small table with a few candles and just above that was a shelf with a large dusty book on top of it that I decided I would have to look at later. Mrs. Allard stroked my hair and asked me to be down after I arranged things the way I wanted. When she left, I opened the drawer and found a little mother mouse with her babies. I smiled and left them alone, choosing to put my dresses in the drawer below instead to avoid getting them chewed on. I took out my two bears, Emerald and Sapphire and sat them on my bed. My eighth birthday had come around when we were at sea. One of the sailors had given me a beautiful shell. It was a coral pink colour. He had been kind to me and when I was scolded for not working hard enough or just felt alone when my parents were busy he would talk to me. He told me he was looking forward to going back to England and that the Collins family was crazy for wanting to move out here to nothing. When he gave me the shell he held it up to my ear and told me that the noise inside was the song of the ocean and that was what sang in his heart always. He said that every time I heard it would remind me of him and our journey. Sadly, he is one of the men who passed away on board and was dropped into the sea but I always remember thinking that he was more at home there than he was on land and that he would be happy. I carefully sat the shell on the table next to the candles and went to admire the view.

One my way back downstairs I got lost. There were so many corridors to the kitchen it took me a long time to work out where I was. I heard voices coming from a room to my right and the door was open slightly. I peeked in through the crack and saw a girl of around six years old. She was pale with long slightly blonde hair that fell in soft curls around her shoulders and down to her waist. She looked very delicate with blue eyes and a gentle demeanor. She wore a light blue and pink dress garnished with pearls and a small pendant around her neck. I looked at her curiously then a woman dressed in black with a tight expression on her face appeared behind the girl.  
"She is a well behaved child, brought up to the highest of standards. She is learning the pianoforte and being taught poetry and writing." The woman put her hand on the girls shoulder and then Joshua appeared in front of her, looking down at her as if examining her.  
"She is indeed a rare beauty," he replied thoughtfully. "You already have others interested in her?" The woman gave a conceited smile and nodded.  
"Yes, Sir. Many families enquire about her very often wishing their own sons to meet her." Joshua examined the girl more closely.  
"She looks frail and not good for birthing sons. Does the Du Pres family have more daughters?" The woman put her lips into a tight line.  
"No, Josette here is their only child and I can assure you she may look like a delicate flower but she will produce many healthy children. I've raised her since the day her mother brought her into this world. I might also add, Mr. Collins that the family are most keen for her to be betrothed to your son. Out of all the families they would rather it was Barnabas." Joshua never took his eyes off Josette, he was clearly very deep in thought.  
"Alright, if the Du Pres family wishes for her to marry into mine then they can wait. I say, bring her back in ten years time when she has turned 16. I am not yet convinced at how well she will keep. If the family wants her to marry my son then they will grant me that wish." I could see in the woman's eyes that she was not pleased to hear this but she knew her place and nodded.  
"Ten years and we will return. Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Collins, especially as you have only just arrived in Maine." Joshua smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.  
"It was my pleasure. I am always more than happy to see such a beauty." With that, Naomi walked over to inspect Josette. She had been so silent I had no idea she was even in the room. She knew that she would have no say in who Barnabas was married to but she gave Josette and approving smile. The woman behind Josette gently tapped her shoulder and Josette stood. She gave a gentle curtsey to Joshua then Naomi as the woman beamed in the background.  
"It was kind of you to meet me, Sir." Said Josette in a soft voice that matched her appearance perfectly. "I look forward to meeting your son when I have grown." She gave another gentle smile and one of the servants guided her and the woman toward the door. I immediately hid beside a cabinet so I would not be seen. Even by the way Josette walked she already looked like a lady. I thought about what I had heard and felt a burn in my chest and for some reason I knew I didn't like her. I knew Barnabas wouldn't like her either. I was his friend, not her, but she wasn't coming back for ten years. That was a long time. I decided not to tell Barnabas or anyone about what I heard.

When I got to the kitchen, Mrs. Allard could see something was wrong but when she asked I just told her I wasn't feeling very well. She looked down at my arm and stared at it for a second.  
"What have you been up to, child? You have a dirty mark on your arm. Let me get it off…". She got an old rag and started to scrub at my arm. I felt a sharp pain and pulled it back. She looked at me confused. "Alright, but it can't stay on there. Off you go and clean it off." I headed out the kitchen without a word, still with that burning pain inside me I had never felt before. I looked down at my arm and was shocked to see it wasn't a dirty mark but was actually a crack in the skin. My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped, fear flooding me. This had never happened before. I covered it up and went back to my room. Josette marrying Barnabas. I couldn't get that off my mind. I knew that it didn't matter. He would never want her. He and I would be friends forever and she would never replace me or get in my way, there is no way I was going to let that happen.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part Ten**

_((In the last chapter I mentioned that Angelique was had her 8th birthday on the voyage. That was wrong, I meant her 7th so she is currently 7 but for some reason I can't change it.))_

Collinsport Maine, May 1760 ~ The Book of Spells

Over the next few months I found it hard to get the image of Josette out my head. It still hurt me to know that she was going to maybe one day marry my Barnabas. I still had not mentioned it to him and I never planned to. Things at the new house had been very similar as to how things had been back in Liverpool. I worked just as hard and got just as exhausted for it. The warm weather was coming in and sometimes if I finished my chores early enough Mrs Allard would let me go outside to the beach and play in the sand. Sometimes I would look up the house and I could see Barnabas look out the window at me. He would always smile and give me a little wave. This warm weather reminded me of Martinique and Clara. I sometimes wished we were still there but now that I had Barnabas as a friend I never wanted to be away from him.

One warm morning I woke up early before the rest of the house and my eyes caught sight of the book on my shelf I had seen the day we moved in. I slipped out of bed and went to carefully lift it down. It was very heavy and covered with dust. I coughed when the cover fell open and I was hit with the smell of dust and old book. I had expected it to be a pictures or stories. I was still not very god at reading but I could manage most of it. It was a spell book with spells for everything. The last owners of the house must have dealt in witchcraft. Slowly, I turned each page looking at pictures of how to grow simple plants for food to how to torture yours enemies. Just then I came across a spell to turn humans into vampires. I was just about to read it when my bedroom door slowly started to creak open. I gasped and closed the book quickly, sending more dust up into the air but then smiled when Barnabas's face appeared round the corner. He smiled and walked over to me, his feet padding softly across the bare floorboards. He sat opposite me and looked at the book.  
"I am so terribly sorry, I could not get back to sleep. I hope you do not mind me here." I gave another gentle smile and shook my head to show that I didn't mind. He looked back at the book again and I was worried he would take it from me to see it..  
"It is a book of stories, " I said quickly, just in case he would see the spells. He smiled again and put his elbows on his knees and his chin rested on his hands.  
"Will you read me a story? I remember you said you do not read very well, but I would very much like to hear one." Cautiously I opened the book and tried to think of what to say, knowing I would have to make one up. I couldn't help another smile at the look of eagerness on his face so I pretended to read to him from the book.

"This one is about a poor girl who falls in love with a gentleman. Once upon a time was a young girl called...Anna. She was a servant girl and she did not have many things. She had a few possessions but the one she cared for most was her kind heart full of love and compassion. One day, Anna had to go and live in a big house with a new family. She was scared but she knew she would do well and work hard. When she was there she met a young boy called Thomas. Very soon Anna and Thomas became friends and they would play games together and spend all the time they could near each other. One day Anna found out that Thomas had to get married to a girl from a rich family and she was hurt deeply by this. Thomas knew that one day he must marry a well educated girl but as the years passed by he did not want to and he wanted to marry Anna. In the middle of the night, when the moon was hidden behind a cloud, they snuck out the house together and ran away. Soon they were married and had many children. They lived in a beautiful house full of love, peace and happiness until the day it was time for them to leave the world when they were very very old. One night they feel asleep in each others arms and stayed asleep, never waking up, but their souls still fly together hand in hand and will do for eternity as a love as true as theirs does not die, but goes on forever." I looked up from the page I had been pretending to read to see a smile on his face, he was mesmerised by my words and my French accent. There was even a tiny tear in the corner of one of his eyes.

"Do you think that is true?" he replied softly, "that there are people who are so in love they can die together as they cannot stand the thought of being in the world without the other?" I nodded and smiled.

"I have always been told by my mama and papa that true love is real. They told me that when things are wrong it is love that helps you through." He smiled and looked at me.

"Do you think that story is true, that a rich gentleman would run off with a maid and not marry the woman intended for him?" I tilted my head and looked at him.

"Yes, I think it could be a real story. Mama told me when she and papa got married her family did not approve but they married for love. I do not see how it could be different for rich and poor." He smiled again as if that was the answer he hoped for.

"Then one day I think we should get married, like in your story. I do not want to marry someone that has been arranged if there is no love. I want to marry you because we are friends." I smiled and was about to respond when my mother walked in. She was surprised to see Barnabas sitting there. He looked at me again and flashed his usual cheeky smile before standing and walking out the room. My mother looked at me with warmth in her eyes.

"Now Angelique, what did I say about learning your place?" She sat on the floor on the spot Barnabas had been.

"But mama, we couldn't sleep and he came in and asked for a story from this book I found, but it is not a story book so I had to make it up instead." She gave a gentle laugh and kissed my head then took the book out of my hands and began to flick through it just as my father entered the room.

"What is that you have there?" He kneeled next to my mother and took the book to look through it too.

"It is a spell book, a mixture of good and dark magic. Angelique found it." He furrowed his brow as he read.

"There are many spells she would benefit to know from in here. We will have to keep it hidden." As he turned another page there was a picture of a circle that caught my eye.

"Papa, what is that there? What is the circle for?" He moved round to my side so I could see better.

"This, is a circle for protection. You draw it on the floor with a piece of chalk and sit in the middle of it and no one can harm you. If you are ever sad or need your mother or I then once you sit in the middle we will feel it and come to you straight away, no matter where we are." I looked up with tears in my eyes.

"Papa, please never leave me...". He looked down with his eyes full of love as my mother came and sat me on her lap.

"We are never going anywhere, my dear. If we are ever separated from you we will always find our way back, you will never be alone, I promise." I snuggled in close to my mother as a few tears fell. They meant so much to me and I never wanted to be apart from them. My father took out a piece of chalk and put it in my drawer with my clothes and then pushed the book under the bed with promises that he and my mother would teach me from it more often in order to become better at witchcraft. My mother helped me get dressed and sent me downstairs for breakfast. She made me promise never to look at the book without them as some of the magic was very dark. I promised but it did not stop me from being curious.

I went down to help make the breakfast. One of my new chores was to serve it to the Collins family since I was now able to carry more. As I placed each dish on the table, Joshua and Naomi walked in, soon followed by Barnabas who looked rather tires as he was not used to being up so early. He looked at me and smiled and I then returned his smile. Joshua saw this and glared at me so I immediately looked down, gave a small curtsy and left the room. Mrs Allard was outside and also saw it.

"You ought to be careful, child. There have been many stories about things that happen with maids, maybe not now because you are so young but when you are older." I had no idea what she meant. "There are many scandalous stories, some maids losing their jobs when the master decides the maid is his in every way. Many a child born that way..." Just then my father came over and covered my ears.

"Please, she is too young to know this," he said with a slight anger. "And anyway, they are both just children." I looked up confused, still unsure as to how children came into the world. My father tapped my back and sent me on my way to finish my chores. A few hours later when I was cleaning the fireplace, I heard Joshua's heavy footsteps come closer. I closed my eyes tight and held my breath scared of what he might do. Even his presence scared me now. I heard him slow down and felt him brush against me, his breathing a bit harder then he walked on, leaving a smell of alcohol behind. My heart was pounding but I ignored it and went to another part of the house instead to dusk. Soon my mind was pre occupied by the book under my bed and the promises of learning more magic from my parents. I smiled to myself as I thought about spells I could use on Joshua one day and soon forgot all about what had happened earlier.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Makings of Evil**

**Part Eleven**

Collinsport, Maine, September 1760 ~

Summer had gone far too quickly and already the first golden leaves of autumn were falling to the ground from the trees surrounding the garden at the back of the house. Luckily for me, there was a gardener so that was one chore I didn't have to do. As promised, every night my parents would teach me a little magic from the dusty old spell book. They were proud of my progress and how far I had come in such a short space of time. They never taught me of any ways that I could possibly harm anyone, that was being saved until I was old enough to deal with the consequences of the them. So far I knew how to mend clothes and things to make my current life a little easier. My parents were still worried that we would one day be caught but then we were always so careful and I always made sure that I was alone when I tried anything. I wished very much to show Barnabas the things that I knew, I thought it unfair to keep secrets from him but I knew I could never tell him.

On one particularly cold morning I went down stairs for breakfast. I noticed there was an empty seat in the table all the maids would sit at. It was Mary Morgan, the young maid who always seemed to fall downstairs or walk into doors. Mrs. Allard must has seen me stare at the empty space and immediately she began to fuss around me with food as a distraction.

"Where is Mary?" I asked cautiously. Mrs Allard frowned hard and had an expression on her face that she was trying to give a reason that was not the truth.

"Mary took a nasty fall, she had to go away for a little while to get well again. She will be back soon I'm sure, child." I looked around the other maids who all avoided my eyes and kept their eyes on their plates. I felt very uneasy.  
"How did she fall?" Again, Mrs Allard tried to think of something.

"She ... fell down the stairs," she said quickly. I looked around the others again and they still avoided my eyes. I didn't believe them but I didn't want to push it further. I knew something else had happened and I would just need to find out myself.

After breakfast, I began my chores as usual. I was upstairs dusting the books in the library. They always seemed to gather dust. I had began to think that old books just must attract it or something. As I worked I began to sing gently to myself and even pulled out a few book to look at but each time I opened one I kept choking on the dust. A few moments later I heard a muffled scream coming from behind one of the bookcases. I walked over curiously and saw a small gap. It was a door behind the books and behind it was a stone, spiral staircase that lead up into a high tower. I walked up slowly trying not to make a sound on the stairs. The door at the top was slightly open and I looked in and I saw Mary, the young maid who was always hurting herself and was missing from breakfast this morning. She was laying on the floor, her body battered and bruised. I just managed to withhold a gasp as Joshua became visible in the room. He drank deeply from a goblet of ale and dropped a walking cane on the ground next to Mary. He finished the ale and began to walk towards the door. I ran down the stairs again as quickly as I could and hit behind one of the chairs in the library, begging in my head for him not to find me. He entered the library from the secret passage and came to the chair I was hiding behind and sat down. The smell of ale was strong and I covered my mouth so I didn't make a sound. A few minutes later I heard him snore and I took my chance and ran out the library as quietly as possible. I was breathless by the time I reached the kitchens and ran right into Mrs Allard. As soon as she turned round to me, I burst into tears.

"Where are my Mama and Papa!? Where are they!?" Mrs Allard looked shocked by the state I was in.

"My child, what the matter?" She pulled me close and tried to calm me. I was frightened and just wanted my parents. I couldn't even find the words to tell her but from her tense stance and pathetic attempt to lie this morning at breakfast I think she already knew. Without any answer I ran out of her arms and into the garden at the back of the house where I saw my mother hanging out laundry to dry and my father was by her side, dirty from tending to a few plants. I ran straight at them and into my father's arms.

"Papa!" That was all I was able to say and I was shaking. They both looked just as shocked as Mrs Allard had been but I finally managed to choke out words this time. "Mr Collins! He had Mary in a secret place and he hurt her! He hit her and she is not moving! Please, Papa, you must help her!" Over in another part of the garden Barnabas was out with his governess and looked over when he heard the tone in my voice. He hadn't heard what I had said of course and even if he had it would have made no difference. I was in such a state that I forgot to speak in English and had been speaking at my parents in French instead but he could tell I was very distressed. He started to walk over but his governess pulled him back and gave him the talk I was often given about class division. My father's eyes went wide and his face was filled with disbelief that a master that had seemed so kind would do that.

"Angelique, are you sure? Are you positive that is what you saw?"  
"Yes, Papa! I am sure! I saw it and I ran away! He is still in the library asleep. Please help Mary!" My father looked at my mother and he took my hand and led us to the library. He looked into the library and saw Joshua where I had left him, still snoring. I led the way to the secret door behind the bookcase and up the stone steps, the whole time praying Joshua wouldn't wake up and find us. Mary was still on the floor where he had left her. My father immediately went to her side and looked up at my mother.

"She is still alive but very injured. She has been badly beaten." My mother went and knelt on her other side and stroked her hair. Both my parents then placed their hands over her and a gentle white light appeared as they did their best to heal some of her worst wounds to give her a better chance of survival. It was clear, even from where I was that she had a broken leg and arm. My mother straightened out her leg as carefully as possible and the same light appeared to heal her bones. A moment later I felt a strong hand slide round my neck from behind and felt breath in my ear that stank of ale. I stood rigid, unable to move or speak.  
"Well well, what's going on up here?" he whispered softly but threateningly in a tone I had never heard anyone use before. My parents both looked up and in that second their faces were totally drained of colour from fear and just like me, they were unable to move. "Do not ... move" he whispered to my parents as he slowly bent down for the cane. Once he had it in his hand he raised it high, about to bring it down and strike me. Within a split second my father was on his feet. He raised his hand and sent Joshua flying backwards into the wall. Joshua slide down it as I ran to my mother. His eyes slowly opened and there was a look of such vengeful hatred on his face that I hid behind my mother. He slowly rose to his feet and ran at my mother and I, grabbing my hair and dragging me out. When my father dove to save me, Joshua brought the cane down on the back of his head and knocked him unconscious then looked up at my mother with a grin of pure insanity on his face. From his pocket he took out a small knife and held it to my throat. I bit my lip so hard that it bled and stood very tense.

"Now..." he whispered softly to my mother, "go down those stairs in front of me and if you try to run I'll slit her throat and not think twice about it." My mother's eyes filled with tears as she let her gaze drop to where my father was laying with a small pool of blood round his head. She looked back at Joshua and nodded and headed to the stairs, walking down them slowly. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks as I closed my eyes so I couldn't see the blood. Before they closed, I saw him twitch a finger, so I knew he was still alive. Joshua began to force me down after my mother and just before we reached the bottom he raised the cane again and struck her on the back of her head knocking her out too.

"Mama!" I tried to move forward to her but felt the knife scratch my throat and I held back and instead I cried loudly. I remember back to when we were fleeing Martinique and how frightened I was. That could not compare to the fear I felt in this moment, my heart was beating so fast I thought it would give out and stop. Joshua shut the door to the passage and locked it before dragging me down to the wine cellar. In one swift movement he threw me down the steps and I lay at the bottom as pain shot through my body. He made his way down slowly with a smirk.  
"I suppose that makes you one too. A witch, a disgusting little rat from hell that does not deserve the life it holds within it. A venous viper put on earth to corrupt..." He took hold of my chin and looked over my face. "Still, an undeniable beauty, not only here to corrupt but to put temptation into men, make them desire you ..." His voice trailed off and his eyes scanned over me. I closed my eyes tightly again and then he pulled my to my feet and into the corner of the cellar where he bound my wrists tightly with rope and then my ankles. Without another word he walked away and back up the steps, closing and locking the door and plunging me into complete darkness. I could see nothing, and all I could here were the sounds of rats pattering across the floor and the sound of my heart beating fast and hard in my chest. My cries had turned silent again, yet the tears still poured down my cheeks as I sat there thinking of what was happening to my parents, praying they were safe. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes again hoping that once I opened them I would find I was dreaming, but no matter how many times I closed and opened my eyes I was still here in the cellar, my heart was still pounding, my body still ached and my fear never lessened.

Hours went by, so many I lost all sense of time that I had no idea how long I had been down here for. I was still in the same spot and my wrists and ankles were burning from the rough rope that bound them. I heard the door click and unlock. Seconds after that, a light shone down. It was someone holding an oil lamp with not much light behind them so I knew it had to be night time. Joshua's heavy footsteps descended the stairs and grabbed the top of my arm and pulled me up. He never spoke a word but instead just pulled me up the stairs and through the house to the front door. Outside was a horse and carriage and surrounding it were a few of Joshua's friends, all with grins on their faces. I looked over each face and each one looked back at me. I didn't even dare ask where my parents were. Joshua lifted me up and put me in the carriage and it drove off. His friends came behind on horseback. For a long while Joshua just looked at me with the same smile his friends had had on their faces.  
"Tonight, we will show you what happens to people like you and your parents. I will tear you down and tame you. I am going to take everything ..." I looked up fearfully, having no idea what he meant about that. By this time we were approaching a forest and out the window I could see the place the Collins family were planning on building Collinwood and I could hear the cheers of many more men. On hearing this, Joshua's smile grew even wider and once we were deeper into the forest, and the voices were at their loudest, the carriage stopped. The door was opened and Joshua pushed me out. I landed on my side on the ground. My hair was in my face so I was unable to make out what was going on but I saw the light of many torches and outlines of men. Once again, I was pulled to my feet and I twisted my head to the side to flick my hair away. Just ahead of me I saw that two bonfires had been built up made of many pieces of wood of all sizes and a large stake came up through the top of both of them and on each one a figure was bound securely with a sack over each of their heads. A moment later the sacks were removed, revealing the faces of my parents, both currently unconscious and both severely beaten. My eyes widened and I screamed and tried to rush towards them.

"Mama! Papa!" I was pulled back immediately by Joshua who simply laughed. One hearing my screams my parents slowly opened their eyes. They were both very weak. When my mother saw me there she started to cry and I cried with her, desperately trying to get to her.

"Angelique," she whispered " Do not look ... do not watch ..." Her tears fell fast as mine as our blue eyes met each other. I looked to my father to see tears on his cheeks too. He nodded in agreement with my mother. The lights from the torches reflected in Joshua's eyes and along with his grin he looked like a demon straight from the pits of hell. He grabbed my hair and jerked my head to the side and whispered softly right into my ear.

"Do not be sad, Angelique. I'm sending them back to where they belong. Be grateful I am not sending you with them. You are mine, all mine now. Never forget that...". He let go of my hair and held my arm. He nodded once to the men with torches and they all started cheering again, each one throwing his torch down to light the wood beneath my parents. It took a few seconds for each fire to grow but as it gradually got bigger the men became louder. They were so loud that my screams of absolute terror and pain went completely unheard. My parents started to choke on the smoke and my mother cried harder. I couldn't look away from them. They started to speak but I couldn't hear what they said. I could just make out their lips say "we love you...we love you" over and over. At one point I tried to look away and Joshua pulled my head back and forced me to watch. Within minutes, their bodies were engulfed in flames and their mouths open in screams no one could hear but I felt them in my chest. I looked into my mother's eyes and then my father's one last time before their heads fell forward and their screams stopped. I fell to my knees and screamed louder than I had ever thought possible. I felt my heart being ripped to shreds and the skin all over my body cracked and the men looked at me, all suddenly scared of what they saw. Joshua covered his ears this time then struck me so hard I fell to the side and everything went blurry. He hit me again and again as hard as he could until I finally lost consciousness.

When I awoke, the fires were out and the bodies we gone and the piles of wood and the stakes were completely burned to ashes now. My parents now lay side by side in sacks. The smell that lingered was one that I would never forget. I tried to move, but the pain shot threw my body and I lay still. I heard Joshua say to dump the bodies in a thicket of old branches, bushes and other plants and long grass where they would not be found. My eyes followed the men as they dragged the sacks away and put them nearby. Joshua crouched next to me with a smirk and just shoot his head as our eyes met. He then stood up and walked away from me with the other men. They got back on their horses and he got back inside the carriage and went away, leaving me there on the ground. For the next little while I drifted in and out of consciousness until the moonlight landed on my face and I opened my eyes. I looked and saw that the roped had been removed from my wrists and ankles. With great effort I pushed myself up. The pain was so intense I thought I would pass out again but I managed not to. I made my way over to where the men had dumped my parents bodies looked down at them. The tears returned to my eyes. There was no way I could just leave them like that. I took hold of the end of one of the sacks and pulled. It as heavy as I thought, I doubted there was much that remained so I grabbed the other sack and pulled them both out the thicket. For a long while I walked deeper and deeper into the forest. I was numb but the flow of tears never once stopped. After many hours of just walking and dragging the sacks I saw the sun through the trees and before me was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever seen. There were tall trees all around me with thin trunks. Instead of the broken leaves and rocks I had been walking on all night, there was grass, completely covered with purple wildflowers that temporarily took the smell of burning from my nose. It was stunning, especially with the sunrise shining through the trees. Dotted all around, there were ponds of all different sizes. I dragged the two sacks to one not too far off and I looked at my reflection. My face was bruised and covered in blood. I now also had blisters on my hands from dragging the sacks. I knelt by the water and drank some, not realising how thirsty I was. I then washed my face and sat back looking at the water. It was very clear and I could see the bottom. It was deep but not too deep and it gave me an idea. I remembered the spell my parents had taught me the time I had managed to spill a whole bucket of water over the floor. It was a spell to dry it up. I placed my hand in the water and quietly said the words they had taught me and the water began to disappear and even dried out the soil at the bottom. I took hold of the first sack and pulled it in and laid it out, followed by the other. I put them as close together as possible and climbed back out the drained pond and looked down at them. I didn't have the strength to cry anymore and so I sobbed quietly.

"I love you Mama. I love you Papa ...," I whispered quietly, my voice shaking through my cries. I had a necklace that I had worn for as long as I could remember. I never too it off. This was the first time I ever had. I reached down and carefully placed it with my parents in between them at their heads. I took a step back and held my hand over the hole and slowly more earth began to appear slowly cover their bodies, the reality that I would never see them again starting to hit me. Once the hole was filled, new grass appeared over the top but I kept it clear of the purple flowers. Instead I made a small a few small pink flowers grow over them just like the ones we used to look at in the grounds of the Montadon manor back in Martinique. After a quick look around I found 2 large stones and a smaller one and began to carve onto them. On one I carved 'Mama' and on the other I carved 'Papa'. Then I carved the year on each one and I lay them both over where their heads were. I felt a gentle gust of wind and just for a second, I could feel them. I looked around quickly and began to cry hard again as I desperately searched for them.

"Mama, Papa?! Do not go! You promised you would not leave me! I want to go too!" I knew they were gone. Whatever was left of my heart tore apart. I looked at the grave one last time before finally turning round and walking back through the forest and was very soon the furthest away from my parents I had ever been in my life.

It took more hours of walking to get back out the forest. The sun was now high in the sky. I stood right at the edge of the forest and looked all the way across the bay and could see the house where I knew I would have to return to. I suddenly remember the book in my room and the magic circle. I remembered what my parents had told me. The circle would keep me safe and where ever they were they would come to me and find me. I took off into a run towards the house despite my pain from the beating and all the walking. Once inside the house I ran upstairs and found the book. I quickly flipped to the page about the circle and took the piece of chalk out that my father had given me. I went to the corner and there on the bare floorboards I drew it exactly while muttering the spell. I went and got my two bears and sat in the centre of the circle and waited hopefully for my parents to find me again. I waited and waited and soon dusk fell and the orange and pink clouds were visible from my window as the sun began to set. I lowered my head and cried. My parents never came, they never found me. In my head I knew the truth. No magic could bring back the dead, the love we have for them cannot bring them back and no magic circle would either. I lay down in the circle and stared at the wall opposite me. Now I knew I was alone and I had no idea what life had in store for me or what would be in my future in this house with that man who had taken away everything from me.


End file.
